‘Roseanne’ Will Return to TV Next Fall Without Roseanne As ‘The Conners’

ABC has now reversed(ish) its cancelation of Roseanne in the wake of star Roseanne Barr’s racist tweets. Barr is still gone, but the show will return in the fall for 10 episodes as The Conners, a Roseanne-free spinoff. Per The Hollywood Reporter:

The new take, which will also be a multicamera comedy and premiere in the fall, will follow the Conner family who, after a sudden turn of events, are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before.

In a statement Barr said "I regret the circumstances that have caused me to be removed from Roseanne. I agreed to the settlement in order that 200 jobs of beloved cast and crew could be saved, and I wish the best for everyone involved.”

John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman will all return for the new show, and they had a joint statement of their own:

We have received a tremendous amount of support from fans of our show, and it’s clear that these characters not only have a place in our hearts, but in the hearts and homes of our audience. We all came back last season because we wanted to tell stories about the challenges facing a working-class family today. We are so happy to have the opportunity to return with the cast and crew to continue to share those stories through love and laughter.

Roseanne had been the highest-rated show on television upon its return to ABC, but THR says the network was still not sold on bringing it back as The Conners until it could work out a deal that would ensure had no “financial or creative involvement.” Because Barr created her character, she had to waive the “substantial fees and backend” she would have on any Roseanne spinoff. Whether the show succeeds without her will be an interesting thing to watch next fall. I imagine the curiosity factor alone will help the premiere.